Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-06-15

lasting golden challenge to the men and wo-
| men OF va: to recall an instance where the
or man of my division, without swift and con.
| dign punishment overtaking the offender
| officers and men this recognition Of their dis
| cipline and high sense OF duty which you ex-
tend 10 t9 aen,. commander to-day. MY men,
those terrible days the first fruits of duty done,
when my division formed part of larger
with white faces and dishevellsd hair, and
heard them inquiring of the passing column
Tor Averiiis men to protect them, great ap-
plause)
Among those who greet me here to-day OBJ
serve the beaming faces Of a generation who
mendous struggle oflife and death to which this
occasion mainly relates, and whose notions
about its cause and conduct must be dim, and
| perhaps they sometimes wonder what 1t was
| all about But they need not regret their LACK
9 Ior very rev OF our Leading
politics. at that time. or even this day. have
| reached down to the broad and truthful prem
| ises which should underlie any philosopher
| al and
| CANDID CONSIDERATION OF THE ORIGIN AND
RESULTS OF THE WAR,
| not remembering that that organized aggre-
gate of humanity called society, the parent OF
government. derives its character from the
character of the labor that supports lt-that
the people of the North and South were sus-
that the different social conditions which re-
| suited, were originally united by the ties OF
| helplessness and mutual dependence In resist
| ing the oppressive exactions of the mother
country and achieved the independency of the
Republic, and afterwards tried to perfect and
perpetuate the Union of States by adopting the
| Constitution-that great men of both social
conditions strove earnestly and long to main
resistible diversities which sprang from social,
political and commercial antagonisms be-
tween these different social conditions, the &C
| cumlating aggravatiOns of. which no govern
ment devised by man could repress, until 1t
fell to the lot of the eighth generation OF Amer
leans, no longer able to control or harmonic
| them, to resort to the arbitrament of arms.
| Then followed heroic period which gave
birth to great names, glorious achievements
| and heroic deeds. One of these antagonistic
| social forms had to be crushed. The strength
of anything is measured by the force required
was measured by million men and So 600. Co.,
| 0OO Incidentally and necessarily the charac-
tbrouebont the IanSi PoIitical parties had no
more TO do with the cause of the war than the
church militant has to do with earthquakes.
| (applause) The costly lesson we learn was
| that labor is the lever that moves the world Of
human life and in republic 1t must be free.
Human labor is Godliks in this, that 1t ma
terializes thought and is creative in its func-
tions. 1t is unrequited whenever any portion
of its wages are expended on fictitious values.
pride that
SOUTHERN MEN WERE GREAT IN WAR;
1T remembers that when their cause was hope
lessly lost they were greater in accepting with
| consequences of defeat; but posterity Will
never forget that they showed themselves
the exigencies of free labor (appIauseJ For
| over 1000 years mankind has been instructed
and civilization benefited by picture Of Gin.
| dignities and WELD the power of the Roman
state. A far greater picture in Its effects and
Governor, Gen. FitZhugh Lee, (applause),
whom l mention as representing the best and
highest type of Southern manhood, after the
took OF his coat and mt his hand to the
pillow for the first time. (applause)
God who gave us our path and motion in the
universe and said by the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread" will smile on a people
who recognize and respect the dignity of Ia
Dor.
| Amid the elder generations before me 1 rec
ognize the faces of those who must have been
| my comrades de OF the war; we certainly were
paigns and battles the same sky covered US,
| the same storm drenched us, we were bespat-
tered by the same mud and begrimed by the
same dust and our marches and fatigues were
cotemporan eous and coequal. We assaulted
| (applauseJ With regard to the personal feel
ings existing between those who were ac-
| quainted with each other or were friends when
| the war divided them, may mention
A CONVERSATION ONCE HAD WITH PRESIDENT
LINCOLN,
which oay be of interest. 1t was shortly after
| the first great cavalry battle of the war; at
ISeI Ford. on the Rappahannock, early in
Army of the Potomac opposite Fredericksburg
and to review 1T. He did me the honor to send
| for me to visit him in the evening. We had
an interview of an hour in his tent He asked
me many questions about the army, and es-
pecially the Cavalry Service and it's great ex-
/ pense. He expressed great interest in the
| fight we had had at Kelley's Ford, and enquir-
ed particularly about the Confederate com.
manders. / told him how the fight came to pass,
| and showed him a note which had received
from General Fitzhugh Lee. with reference to
read aa it carefully. Then he asked: Were YOU
and General Lee friends?"
| "What would happen" he asked, "Should
you meet on the battle 1eld?"
zone or both OF us would be badly hurt or
killed." said. "obliged to be. Mr.. President
| He leaned that picturesque and mournful
face OF his on his hand, and after pause, said
with emotion, nOh, my God, what dreadful
must s!ay each other and die as friends!'
| I told him that undoubtedly Lee thought
mine. ' NS LIS NA'' anu : A-''" Go ''''ns
yes" said Mr.: Lincoln. Il understand your
| that you ought to hate each other'."
. Finally. he said: General Averill, wish
you would give me this letter of Lees"
| "Surely, take 1t, Mr.. President" 1 replied;
and have been told by one of his biographers
that he carried the note in his pocket for a
This statement of personal relations and
| feelings seemed to make a revelation to Mr..
Lincoln, for he had heart and an understand
| ing large enough to consider every emotion Of
all the people in this country, which he so
longed should be nation. tapplause)
THE MEMORIES OF THE FOUR YEARS WAR
which cluster above the graves of the "Blue"
and the "Gray," are Identical and equally dear
| to the surviving comrades OF each. There is
one grand memory which we may ever enjoy,
the fortitude and devotion of American SOL
diers, North and South, and their manhood
| in battle will not fail to awaken the admiral
tion of mankind SO long as any people are
| called Americans. (applause) The grandest
| efficient result of the war was to fortify our
| nation with public opinion which has since
envirened the world. Where is the nation
that does not recognize its power9 or that can
afford to disregardft, The migrating thousands
who are pouring into our country from all ma
lions and races attest the universal and con-
tinued effect aud grandeur of that opinion. 1t
needs no laundering navy nor consuming
army to make it manifest
Our future path as a nation has been untrod-
den by any other, and our destiny is beyond
varied and definite. and as their equation APP
proaohes perfection, the Nation will near the
long repose of contentment, and the rhythm OF
free and requited labor will move the peoples
of the earth to higher social development
and to a more general union of mankind.
The persistent and universal force on earth
which moves people to build churches, is the
same which has assembled you to-day-the
worship of the Godlike in man:-the recogni-
ton of the Image in which we are created.
PATRIOTISM
10 not an inspiration, 1t is a necessary condi-
ton CT social existence. 1t is the threshold of
religion. Outside this threshold men are
brutes inside we behold all that man has
discovered and created-Society Government,
Language, Literature. Science, and Art.
InlS unQy10g mObner OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
gion-is the first necessity experienced and the
last comfort relinquished in every human life.
In this mothers arms we are suspended be-
tween two infinities, as in a hammock one end
of which is held by Memory, the other by
Hope. The history of this Nation the only
one which can now be studied from its Begin
ming, is already new and original page in the
story of the world Not yet a hundred years
old, and on new continent, a nation that em-
plOys two million men in a social war, and
| succeeds in uniting itself and knitting its peo-
pie together is certainly original. Another
wonderful thing is that the very soldiers of
both armies who did the fighting enjoy the
readiest mutual confidence and brotherly es-
TEEN, and mayhap in spite of Indifferent and
ignorant politicians, they and their children
will become the strongest social cement of our
permanent union.
We dashed together like waves on rocks,
We fought till the ground was red;
We met in the shuddering battle shocks,
Where none but the freed soul fled.
Now side by side in the Nations life,
Il